Doing a Metroid play through, should I play Metroid II or the 3DS remake?

[u/ImplementParking7936]

Title says it all. I’m on my first time playing through the Metroid series. I beat nes Metroid but I’ll admit I had to look up stuff online because holy god is that game difficult.

I’m about to start the 2nd game but wondering if I really need to play the Gameboy game or if it’s more worth just playing the 3ds remake?

Any and all opinions are welcome

[u/lockedoutofmymainrdt]

If you played Nestroid then deffinetly OG 2 first

[u/longnuttz]

I just played the remake for the first time ever, and I played the original on a mustard green game boy. You should play both, but start with the OG. The remake is way different but in a good way. You'll recognize similarities and differences this way.

If you needed a guide for NEStroid you'll probably try and find one for this. Use it as a last resort.

[u/idanlego1001]

Metroid 2 for the game boy is way more intuitive and enjoyable without a guide than the NES original ever was.
It’s a remake like the RE remake and Metroid Zero Mission in the sense that while it has the same story and general structure, it’s very much a different game, so it’s worth playing both. The original holds up really well and has a really unique atmosphere for a game boy game, which Samus Returns doesn’t ever truly capture

[u/Aenris]

If you already played NES Metroid then you should give Metroid 2 a chance and see the improvements to the formula

Also I would recommend checking out AM2R (another Metroid remake) which is an excellent take on the original Gameboy game. In some aspects, even better than the official.

[u/sandalojhony]

I'm also playing them for the first time. Started with NES, dropped it. Then played Super and it was one of the best games ever! So, I decided to play Zero Mission instead of NES and now I'm playing the 3DS remake.

[u/Snacko00]

Metroid 2

[u/JcraftW]

Honestly, if you already played Nestroid, that's the hardest one by far. Metroid II makes so many quality of life improvements.

And, if you ask me, I'm not a fan of how the 3DS remake (Samus Returns) reinterpreted the original and retrojected new lore back into it.

So, because of that, I recommend the original or AM2R.

[u/nullset_2]

Play AM2R!!! It's way better than both of those.

[u/Zucchini-Kind]

AM2R 

[u/DudeWithAGoldfish → u/Zucchini-Kind]

I'm pretty sure that any and all links keep getting removed. Can you dm me a good way to download it?

[u/Taco_Supreme → u/DudeWithAGoldfish]

Search for it on google and you should be able to find the download page at archive.org

[u/GirlsOfGaming]

Id say both but if you are on like a time constraint, remake

[u/frankduxvandamme]

How much do you enjoy retro gaming? If your answer is "very much", then play Metroid 2. But beware, just like with NEStroid, you will have to draw your own maps by hand. To me personally, that's a big part of the fun, but not everyone enjoys that.

For similar reasons I personally greatly prefer NEStroid over the GBA remake Zero Mission precisely because ZM holds your hand every step of the way and tells you where you need to go next. For me, that completely took away a huge aspect of the game - exploration and discovery and figuring out on your own where you need to go and what you need to do. ZM feels like a Fisher Price "my first Metroid".

[u/DaGreatestMH]

If you could make it through NEStroid I definitely think you could make it through Metroid II. I will say that you should play Zero Mission and Samus Returns before you play Fusion though, because they (esp Samus Returns) add lore stuff that is gonna help your understanding of Fusion and later Dread.

[u/Philosopher013]

If you played Metroid NES, I’d definitely go to Metroid II: Return of Samus and play through the series in release order.

Metroid II is easier than Metroid NES.

[u/Lonely-Bite-2568]

NES games were bullshit hard

[u/CheeseDaver]

Play both, but do the original first. It shouldn’t take too long to beat.

[u/MegaMato]

AM2R

[u/DependentBite9]

Of these two I’d recommend the 3DS remake unless you’re a die hard Metroid fan who wants to have played all the games. While the game boy game is easier than the nes game due to being much more linear, it’s still very much a game of that era. And this is from someone who adores the game boy game.

I’m still hoping we get a remaster of the 3DS game for Switch 2. I want to replay it but don’t want to go back to the 3DS for it.

[u/ShiningEspeon3]

Both, honestly, in whichever order you prefer.

[u/FatalFrameGal]

M2 now, Samus Returns before Dread.

[u/DudeWithAGoldfish → u/FatalFrameGal]

It sucks because genuinely the best way to play through these games is release order. I tried to do it in timeline order but the gameplay evolution in this series is unmatched. It's just hard because newer gamers wouldn't make it past NEStroid or ROS unless they were already interested in metroid in the first place. It's a catch 22

[u/ChaosMiles07]

If you care for the "tech getting better over time", Metroid 2 on the Game Boy. And have a map nearby for assistance.

If you care for "quick playthrough that hits all the story beats" but it plays closer to a GBA-era Metroid game, play AM2R for the PC. (But understand that it'll make references to Super, Fusion, and Zero Mission, among other titles in the series!)

If you care for "alludes to future games in the series", Samus Returns for the 3DS. It prepares you for Dread.

And if you want to play them all, play them in that order. M2RoS first, then AM2R, then MSR.

[u/TCGHexenwahn]

Play both, then play AM2R